Food Tourah: Vayelech

September 25, 2025 in Food Tourah

Because life so often happens around food, we’re spending the year exploring the weekly parshiot and finding connections to each week’s Shabbat menu. 52 parshiot down, 2 more to go!

Vayelech (“He Went”) opens as Moses prepares the Israelites to cross the Jordan, assuring them that God will be with them, and that Joshua will be their new leader. He urges the people not to be fearful, for God will wipe out the enemies in their path. Moses instructs the people to have a public reading of the Torah every seven years.  Men, women, children, and strangers should be gathered for the reading so that future generations may learn and revere God’s teachings.

God tells Moses that his life is drawing to a close and calls him, along with Joshua, to meet Him in the Tent of Meeting, where He presents himself to them as a pillar of cloud.  There God commands Moses to write a poem that will remind the people of all that God has done for them, culminating in the long-awaited Land of Milk and Honey, the fulfillment of the promise that God made to their mothers and fathers.

After lots of cooking for Rosh Hashanah earlier in the week, we hope the cooks among us are ready to jump back into the kitchen with some fresh ideas. With this parsha’s continuation of Moses’ long final address to the Israelites, a Farewell Summer Salad makes a perfect start to your meal. Not only does it mark this transitional moment in the Israelites’ story, it may also be our last chance to savor the sweet tastes of Summer. A warmer dish that embodies the essence of Fall, Sweet Potato Soufflé – with its fluffy, cloud-like texture – evokes the pillar of cloud in which God appears.

The Torah’s instruction to gather every seven years for a community reading reflects the passing of tradition from one generation to the next. Mom’s Honey Garlic Chicken ties in beautifully to the Land of Milk and Honey, while vegetarians can enjoy another treasured family recipe – Mom’s Favorite Lentil Soup.  And to celebrate the passing of the torch from Moses to Joshua, end the meal with a dramatic flourish: Bananas Flambé for a delicious flaming dessert.  The liqueur set alight is a flavorful way to mark the moment with fiery transition!

B’tayavon and Shabbat Shalom,
Alison (Baraf) & Sarah (Roark)

To read past installments of Food Tourah – Click Here.

For a more in-depth look at this week’s parsha, visit Sefaria.org.